Associations between life course longitudinal growth and hip shapes at ages 60-64 years: evidence from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development

Objective We sought to examine associations between height gain across childhood and adolescence with hip shape in individuals aged 60–64 years from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, a nationally representative British birth cohort.

Methods Height was measured at ages 2, 4, 6, 7, 11 and 15 years, and self-reported at age 20 years. 10 modes of variation in hip shape (HM1–10), described by statistical shape models, were previously ascertained from DXA images taken at ages 60–64 years. Associations between (1) height at each age; (2) Super-Imposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) growth curve variables of height size, tempo and velocity; and (3) height gain during specific periods of childhood and adolescence, and HM1–10 were tested.

Results Faster growth velocity was associated with a wider, flatter femoral head and neck, as described by positive scores for HM6 (regression coefficient 0.014; 95% CI 0.08 to 0.019; p<0.001) and HM7 (regression coefficient 0.07; 95% CI 0.002 to 0.013; p=0.009), and negative scores for HM10 (regression coefficient −0.006; 95% CI −0.011 to 0.00, p=0.04) and HM2 (males only, regression coefficient −0.017; 95% CI −0.026 to −0.09; p<0.001). Similar associations were observed with greater height size and later height tempo. Examination of height gains during specific periods of childhood and adolescence identified those during the adolescence period as being most consistently associated.

Conclusion Our analyses suggest that individual growth patterns, particularly in the adolescent period, are associated with modest variations in hip shape at 60–64 years, which are consistent with features seen in osteoarthritis.